over half a million dollars. >> they say he invested in high intensity lights, air filters, water pumping and ventilation systems, all making up a sophisticated marijuana growing area in his basement in marijuana. >> i would have never known he was a marijuana dealer. he was quiet. he didn't want anybody getting into his business. >> i lfd here about 12 years. i knew him and what he looked like but i had absolutely no clue there was any kind of trafficking or -- >> growing. >> bill: several technical how-to manuals were also found

in the home. >> this really is not the end of the investigation. this arust is just the beginning. so he himself ban charged and we'll continue to investigate his operation and where the drugs may have been been going. >> he's out on 25 thousand dollars bart, faes $ five counts including drug possession and manufacturing. >> a man who murdered a state trooper spent life without parole mr. 25 years. he shot and killed trooper wesley brown in june of 2010, coming up at 5:30, hear from coop are troon's partner, who was there that night and held -- >> the younger brother of two nfl stars is now charged with killing a tourist.

66-year-old gary dedrick died michael davis is now charged with his murder. he's in custody tonight charged with two other attacks as well. he's the brother of vernon davis and tonight tay davis. >> the a judge dropped charges against randy babbitt after a key piece of evidence failed to support the charges. julie has it latest now from fairfax. >> reporter: former faa chief randy babbitt being cleared of the charges that cost him his high-profile career. in early deficiency he was. >> it's been a -- there's a tough time. there's a lot of press and reaction. i'm glad it's over and ready to

get rid ready in twes. babbitt had just left a nearby dinner party where he had had two and a half to three glasses of wine over the course of the evening. once babbitt was pulled over, officer morris gave him a breath test. he rej terd .07, below the legal limit. by -- according to the original police report, babbitt never drove the wrong way on the highway. >> this situation, there was no reason to stop him in the first

place. the police can't just stop someone on a munch. it's prohibited by the supreme court. >> as for the multiple breath tests, he says these, too, were also illegal. >> even though he's been cleared, he doesn't regret his decision to step down. >> i made the decision to step down. i didn't want this to take away from the good work people at the faa were doing. >> he says he will continue to do work consulting. >> counterintelligent experts are telling the man who infiltrated al qaeda is of

midd middle. hours also say british intelligence played a crucial role in recruiting the. >> president obama's publicence dorsment in support of gay marriage will likely get its first test. the president is attending three fund-raisers on the west coast, including one hosted by george clooney in hollywood. today speaker of the house john boehner weighed in on the matter. he said there's a bigger issue, the economy. >> the president can talk about it all he wants. i'm going to stay focused on jobs. >> this is a campaign that's going to be won and lost and waged on the economy. >> a new gal up shows 58 support gay merge, but a referendum opposed.

news4's richard jordan reports. >> the traditional family portrait is changing. michael dissent, they've been together for 20 years and we throu through. >> the man feel their children will see more acceptance for their untraditional family. >> equality and acceptance for our family and our kids. who we've always wanted to have the same rights and benefits that all kids their age would have. >> river and bonnie berger, an interfaith minister has married hundreds and now believes the referendum to allow same-sex

maryland will be pivotal with the movement. >> will the president's words have any impact on the voters of maryland? >> but the catholic church supports the notion that marriage is. >> think it's a -- there's always going to be some who are uncomfortable with the prospect of gay marriage. >> richard jordan, news4. >> police chief kathy lanier fires back today. she denied the fact her

boyfriend receives preferential overtime. >> all the benefits is codified in law. they all get the same benefits. it can't manipulated. >> lanier says the boyfriend earns overtime as part of a special division that works a lot of extra hour. doug has your first forecast. doug? >> it's still cool out now. close to 70 degrees. we have the winds gusting 15 to 20, even up to 30 miles an hour right now. it is rather nice evening. it's going to be a fairly chilly

night tonight. temperatures now 63 in leesburg, 64 down toward fredericksburg. storm four radar, we have had calm of. they're mostly that i'm going to stay dry for the rest of the evening. they're coming from the northwest and that's going to have an impact on our night last night. >> and the school that was damaged will held for jom as jefferson entry. it's already offered new i ti t tight. >> and the clean-up is over. now residents are able to return

home after that jet crash. >> and the

jury members failed to reach a verdict yesterday after deliberating for several hours. they were sequestered in a chicago hotel room overnight as a result of that. most of the evidence against balfour is circumstantial sense no witnesses survived. he's facing a mandatory life sentence if convicted. >> new insight from metro after a string of accidents. last month two buses caught fire and a train derailed in rosalyn. megan mcgrath has more on what the agency is now doing to keep riders safe. >> reporter: buses roll off the metro lot and into service this morning. but more than 90 buses continue to stand idle. the orion 6s were pulled off the streets of a two of them suddenly burst into flames while caught on the road. just days earlier there was a

similar fire in fairfax county. s so what's going on with the orion 6s? >> metro investigators say high pressure hydraulic hoses are to blame. different hoses were involved in each fire but in both places were installed improperly and the recommendation is to permanently take the orion 6 models off the street. >> do i not want these buses back in service. >> the board unveiled the cause of the april 28th -- they did not check the closure point

before being allowed to move. >> there was a slight gap between the running rail and switch tonight. >> what happened to the worker? >> he no longer works here. they were rebrief. >> it was a tarp navy jet crash last week but now some the residents will be heading back home starting tomorrow. the jet malfunctioned early 6th and went hurling into the complex. the navy doll followished 27 apartments and removed contaminated soil. 37 amounts were not damaged were cland up and utilities have been restored. >> let's get a check on our gorgeous forecast. beautiful, breezy and it's going to be here for a while, huh? >> it's going to be probably one of the nicest weekends we've had

for a while. this weekend looking very, very nice. just in time for all those moms out there. for mother's day, take a look outside now and we'll show you how this weekend is starting. now, it is thursday. friday, technically not the weekend but let's roll it all in together. you can see plenty of sunshine there. it is gorgeous across the area. temperatures now 69 degrees. the only this evening we having a problem today. the winds are up there, up to 23 miles per hour. she's so you're probably going to the jackets. take a look at the winds now. 23 miles an hour leesburg, 31 right now in fredericksburg so a fairly windy afternoon.

and upward toward montgomeriville and, they're have iing pinneds of up to out there, talked to the first graders out there. they had a good time talking about the weather, asking all kinds of weather questions. some great kids there. they even give me a t-shirt. don't know if it's going to show up well. what do you think of that, jim? >> it's color! 1k8 storm 4 radar, no rain to show you out there tonight but what we are going to be seeing as these, this is also some cool are air. but also some cooler air at the surface and that love in tonight with lardly tomorrow we'll see

nothing but sunshine out there. we'll start off cool but it's going to be a beautiful day tomorrow. saturday it's just going to be warm. a great day on saturday. if you have plans saturday or sunday, you're in luck, we'll come in. tomorrow morning you're going to wake up to some chilly numbers. so, kid, get out the jackets to about 49 in the city. tomorrow afternoon. you'll see those numbers go right back up into the 70s. 72 to 76 degrees are is it still eight on mother's day monday coming in at 72 degrees. look like like we need and have a great weekend! >> that's a plan.

>> still ahead on news4 at 5 tonight -- why some people this project could be helping if to a child's life. >> and

left, right, back across. ovechkin, he scores! >> get ready to rock the red this saturday night, folks. the caps beating the rangers in game six last night. alex ovechkin scored to kick start the offense. then in the second period, jason chimera scored a goal. it may be the best game for braidon holtby who had 30 saves last night. >> now to a look at today's top trending stories -- >> first up, howard stern is adding a new role to his resumé. >> what a crazy idea to put me on a family show. somebody at nbc should be fired for that, right? doesn't you think? >> i way, a fan of the show. i'm not going on the show to

disrupt the buoy of "america's got talent" because i love the show. >> howard stern is going to be one of the judges on america's got talent. >> some groups like the american television council are worried he's going to ruin the show's family image. he says you'll be surprised at his approach. >> more evidence surfacing showing a shaumt claim against john travolta may be false. >> the masseur claims travolta groped her during a massage that same day. >> records confirm he was in new york. >> and on 78 days till the start of the olympic games. >> an actress dressed as a high priestess little the torch in

greece. >> the torch will be presented to london's game organizers later this month. you can watch all the excitement for charlesin. >> and hthat new baby of yours ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's good with money. see what's free to spend. move money with a slide. save with a shake. feel good about your decisions.

police made a record pot bust today in howard county. investigators in laurel say they found 341 plants in a house with a street value of more than $3 million. the suspect, a crime lab employee for the police department. >> and charges he was driving drunk on the wrong side of the highway but police videos don't support that allegation at all and those charges were tossed out today. >> and president obama is sought west in hollywood.

he'll attend three fund-raising events. the same-sex major topic is expected to dominate the evening. doug? >> a big weekend with mother's day coming up. i think this weekend is going to look fantastic, include that mother's day. take a look at the mountains, 76 degrees out there, maybe toward frederick, maryland. nice and high temperature there at 78. and annapolis maryland, should be fine out there on the bay. ocean city maryland, not bad at all, temperatures in the low 70s but plenty of sunshine. water temperature at 60 degrees. you may not want to think about getting in too soon. >> thank you, doug. >> a man convicted in the murder of an off-duty state trooper will be spending the rest of his

life behind bars. >> trooper wesley brown was killed in cold blood outside an appleby's in forestville. today his partner, who witnessed the attack, spoke out about his final moments. >> tracee wilkins reports. >> reporter: williams now knows his fate. he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murder of trooper wesley brown. >> trooper wesley brown was the best our community has to offer. his life is forever gone for something that is so entirely senseless. >> reporter: 24-year-old brown was shot and killed while working off duty security in june of 2010. prosecutors say brown threw williams out of the appleby's for being disruptive, including unionating on another customer. brown's partner that night says williams was belligerent, pushed him and started to run away. prosecutors say brown threw williams out of the appleby's for being disruptive.

his partner that night says williams was belligerent and even pushed him. as he started to arrest him, trooper brown interceded. >> he said let him go, let him go. he's drunk, he doesn't know any better. i said sometimes you can't let them go. >> williams left the restaurant, returned home, got his gun and returned and shot trooper brown. >> he's someone who cared for everyone else. it's something that you carry with you all the time and something i carry with me every day. >> reporter: the prosecution labelled williams a coward with a serious anger streak and inferiority complex. >> and mr. williams will never see the light of day again.

>> and throughout the statements, williams demonstrated no emotion. they feel this is part of the reason they feel he deserves no leniency. years after the shooting happened, he was bragging about it in jail, put out hit attempts on witnesses and for those reasons, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. >> three kidnappers are out there after attacking a father who was headed to work in springfield. they forced the victim into his car and he was forced to drive to banks and take out money. he was stuffedin t in the trunk his car. he is expected to be fine. >> and police pulled over a driver this morning on suspicion of drunk driving. turns out he had a suspended license and warrants out for him. the driver stopped and suddenly pulled a u-turn on connecticut avenue. he sped off at more than a

hundred miles an hour. he lost control on chevy chase circle. he was arrested and taken to the hospital. in march three were killed when they hit a tree and their car burst into flames. >> the city council rejected a request to let bars stay open an extra hour on nights and weekends. many neighborhoods oppose it citing noise, crime and trash problems. >> heated debate over plans to build a costco gas station in wheaton. they banned building mega gas stations near schools. they warn it could create health

problems for the people who live nearby. >> when i was in waldorf, i saw a similar large station outside of the safeway. i do believe this is going to become a growing trend. we have to start being really careful where we site these things. >> costco said it's already built seven stations similar to the one in wheaton, claiming it would not build a station that has an adverse effect on people and the climate. >> and coming up, the risky tanning happen habits of young adults.

it's time once again for the dc 101 chilli cookoff. >> thousands will flock to sample the area's bechilli. that classic stew of meat,

beans. the national kidney foundation brought us four of the 101 chillies. >> you caught me mid bite. let's get some other people up here and give it a try. >> this is a very serious group of folks here today. >> we want you to take one from a, one from b, one from c and one from d. >> a. >> because? >> it's got a nice tang to it and a good spicy taste. >> i like a. it's sweet. maybe it's nut meg. >> i got to give it to a. >> can you guess what that spice is in "a" that people are tasting and don't know what to call it? >> i thought it was cinnamon. >> b is the best to me. it's savory, it's spicy, it has

flavor. >> what makes b perfect? >> sweet and spicy and the meat was great. >> b for bland. >> chili b was also made by a veteran. >> i'm going to go with d. it was very spicy and it had a big kick at the end. >> which one? >> c. >> tastes like? >> pasta sauce. >> c was made by newcomers to the chili cookoff. >> it's kind of like they're tasting wine. >> just as classy as a wine tasting as well. >> as long as no one starts spitting. >> i like the steak in it. it's different. >> d is also from a newcomer but

it's from a champion, brian champion. >> i think i like to be kicked more than i like to be sweetened. in the end a came away from the win. it got 19 votes, b got 13 votes and c got 9 votes and d got 8 votes. >> hands down a. it has a sweetness to it. i can't put my finger on it. >> we asked the cook what the sweetness was in chili a he said sin monday and brown sugar and honey. so, yes, sweet. this winner of our little taste test today will have a sign on his booth. so keep an eye out for him and you can see how sweet it is. we will post his recipe on our web site, after the taste test.

>> that's official will the liz crenshaw ribbon. >> you're making us hungry. thank you, liz. >> well here, is one lucky dog. this adorable beagle mix. he survived not one but two near death experiences. what he needs now, now that he's recovering. >> plus shock jock howard stern is going primetime. but first, here's doug. >> still a little on the gusty side as far as the winds are concerned.

you're watching news4 at 5:00." federal agents have uncovered a massive drug smuggling ring tonight. it spanned thousands of miles and generated about a million dollars. pat collins is live at the fbi washington field office with more on the bust and the nearly 30 people who have been arrested. pat? >> reporter: jim, they say this drug smuggling operation has been running for about six years. today it came to a sudden stop fbi style. >> under seal no more. house of representatives big was this investigation? well, the affidavit goes on for 146 pages.

a big time drug smuggling ring, bringing cocaine from honduras to dulles airport, cocaine that was then sold in virginia, maryland, north carolina and massachusetts. but the story here is how they got the stuff into our country. concealing the cocaine in innocuous things like picture frames and trinkets that made the drug curriers look like tourists coming back from vacation. >> it was placed in suitcases and couriered up through the united states through our ports of entry and distributed around virginia. >> in a big law enforcement sweep this morning, they arrested 28 suspects. not everybody went willingly. one guy jumped out a second floor window. he had $17,000 in cash on him. to cushion the fall.

>> this was a pretty big organization. >> it was, as shown by today's arrests where we have 28 people in custody, we have weapons, we have property, and we are rea y really -- this is the start of the next phase of the investigation. >> reporter: so there's more to be known, moring e ing tto be investigated. you might think of this as the first chapter of a very big book. >> a dog in our area has a new lease on life and some new wheels. now all he needs is a new home. take a look at buster. the washington animal rescue league says he was hit by a car seven months ago and a good samaritan picked him up off the side of the road. bless his little heart. the accident left buster with a paralyzing spinal cord injury, but he's getting around with that little wheelchair of his.

the rescue league hopes he can find an owner who can see to his special needs. look at him go! he's a happy little guy. if you're interested in adopting buster, go to our web n nbcwashington.com and look for buster. >> i knew there was a treat waiting for him. parents of prince williams county elementary school students should watch the mail for a letter about the hpv virus and vaccine. the virus can cause cervical cancer. virginia state law requires the information be provided to parents of girls entering the sixth grade. the letter provides information about the vaccine including when and if your child should get it. the vaccine is optional for so-called students. >> the so-called tanning mom seasoned the only one spending too much time baking.

and even when using sunblock, it's not used correctly. >> this new jersey mother is making headlines because of her seemingly excessive tanning bed use but a new government report suggests many americans, especially young adults, are spending too much time under the lights. >> once you've gone a few times and you get used to it and the brain sort of says, hey, i like this, it's much easier for folks to keep coming back. >> a new study from the cdc found a third of white women ages 18 to 25 use tanning beds, many going to tanning salons ten or more times a year. >> people who have any kind of indoor tanning exposure have a 75% increased risk of melanoma. >> tanning beds aren't the only problem. a report found half of adults under 30 reported at least one sunburn in the past year. there was positive news. more young adults are trying to

protect themselves from harmful uv rays by wearing sunscreen, sticking to the shade and wearing sun protective clothing. experts say not enough adults are taking these measures and when they do, they're doing it wrong. >> people when they apply sunscreen don't apply it adequately enough. you have to put a fairly thick layer on to get the rated protection advertised. >> this summer sunscreen labels should be easier to understand. new rules say broad spectrum lotions must have high uva and uvb protection. >> you needed the sunblock today. it was bright out there. >> is it beach weather, though? >> it may be beach weather this weekend. it's going to be a very nice weekend with temperatures close to the mid to upper 70s in some areas, depending on the wind direction.

69 degrees the current temperature with winds out of the northwest at 16 miles an hour, still gusting upwards of 20 to 25 miles an hour. here's what's happening around the metro area. gaitersberg coming in at 68 degrees, out towards huntington, 66 degrees for you folks. as far as what we're seeing on the radar, not a lot. we're not going to see any of these showers move on down here. what this is showing us is that northwesterly component to the wind. that is going to add a little bit of cool temperatures overnight tonight. i think some areas will be in the 30s. 39 in winchester, 37 in martinsburg, 39 in hagerstown. but 49 in the district and maybe down to 39 in manassis. a fairly chilly morning when you wake up tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon, plenty of sunshine and a rather nice day.

71 in martinsberg and 76 in fredericksburg. if you're thinking of heading down to the mall, no problem. we have a big bike race on sunday and so is the dc-101 chili cookoff. temperatures 79 degrees under mostly sunny skies. the cookoff starting at midnight -- rather noon. i've already gotten this wrong twice. make sure you come saturday, starting at noon. from what liz said, looks like some of that chili will be pretty good. happy mother's day on sunday with a temperature of 80 degrees. looks like we could see showers and maybe a few more thunderstorms as we head into next week. but will you not need the umbrella at all this weekend. that's good.

>> the cost of raising a child continues to climb. according to a recent government report, the cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has jumped 25% in the past decade. that's due in large measure to rising food costs and medical care. it says middle-income families with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000. that does not include any of the costs associated with pregnancy or college. >> turning now to sports. >> dan is live where the team is kicking off its 80th birthday celebration. dan? >> a lot of big names. the ceremony going on inside as we speak. sort of the grand opening for this brand new multi-million dollar bubble as well. we'll show you some video coming up hopefully at 6:00. some of the old alumni here, some of the 70 greatest redskins here and we'll be talking about

the capitals. even out here people are talking about the caps and how they pulled out that game six win to force a game seven. that of course is going to be coming up this weekend. it is all or nothing, caps and rangers in game seven. game six a lot of fun last night. caps fans were going crazy in this place. let's take a look at some of the highlights. the caps coming out strong ea y early. alex ovechkin, just 1:20 in the period. ovie goes top shelf. his 30th career playoff goal. the capitals take a much-needed 1-0 lead. in the second, the same score, john carlson fires on it into traffic. right place, right time. he deflect it is in and the capitals have a 2-0 lead.

br bradon holtby, unbelievable in the playoffs in net thus far. he had 30 saves last night, capitals win 2-1. game seven in new york saturday at 7:30. that of course will be on the nbc sports network. we'll be there and have all the postgame reaction from game seven. if they win, they're going to be playing the new jersey devils early next week. that game would be monday and that would be the eastern conference finals. it's been a long time since the capitals have made it that far. coming up at 6:00, guys, we're going to be talking to some current players about the state of the redskins and maybe even hear from mike shanahan. he says you're going to see a whole different redskins team this year. >> we hope so. >> that would be nice. >> coming up, another turning point in the john edward trial. but the question remains will his mistress take the stand in his defense?

>> coming up at 6:00, working on a story tonight about a toddler who is not old enough to put together a full sentence but somehow ended up on the no-fly list. and mitt romney is apologizing for something he did in prep school. plus somebody got away with a $500 million art

prosecutors in the john edwards corruption trial have wrapped up their case. >> many of the former presidential candidate as closest friend and advisers took the stand in north carolina. jay gray has the latest. >> the prosecution closed its case with a massive paper trail and more political intrigue. an adviser to john edwards described the candidate focused solely on his own political gain, even looking to brokary deal on the same night he finished second in the 2008 iowa caucus, the season's first presidential contest. >> john edwards persisted in his efforts if not to become president, to become vice president, attorney general and maybe even a supreme court sq . justice. >> at the same time, texas millionaire fred baron, continued to hide edward's

mistress. evidence outlined lavish shopping expenses. prosecutors closed by showing a televised interview with edwards where he denied he was the father of hunter's child and said he never asked for a dime too hide their affair. >> the jurors have seen john edwards on videos and he's been very much part of the testimony. i think that takes more pressure on edwards to take the stand when the defense presents their part of the case. >> noticeably absent so far, the woman at the center of the controversy. now some wonder if hunter will ever be called to the courtroom to tell her side of the story in this case. >> there's a very definite possibility she won't take the stand. the defense may worry that she just is not predictable. >> but then so little has been predictable in this trial as the spotlight now turns to the defense. the first move by the defense is

expected to be a request to drop all of the charges due to a lack of evidence in the case. that request largely considered a legal formality will likely be argued tomorrow outside the presence of the jury. >> now at 6:00, new evidence has forced a judge to drop drunk driving charges against the former head of the faa. a maryland trooper was murdered at appleby's restaurant and the gunman who pulled the trigger will have a long time to think about that crime behind bars. >> there are new reports that this police sergeant boyfriend benefits from extra overtime pay. >> and suing the nfl. >> drunk driving charges against the former head of the federal aviation administration have been dropped. the judge in the randy babbitt case says the evidence from last december's incident didn't show any crime.